Page 35 - Volume 15 Number 1

While this is of course true, it’s really just a matter of relativity. No, not Einstein’s kind of matter or relativity. You, the other F-16s, and the tanker are all going almost exactly the same speed – and more importantly – the same direction. While it is a three-dimensional endeavor, it’s really only a problem of up-down-left-right-forward- backward. You have to pay attention, but really, you could do it.
Now that the sun’s up and I can see all the other jets, as well as a whole bunch of water in EVERY direction, it’s a lot easier to stay awake. My second wind has arrived. After another turn at the tanker, it’s free time again. I switch out the tape in my Walkman and listen to some Def Leppard. Time for a box lunch, I brought four. They’re all balanced on the canopy rail on both sides of the cockpit, along with a few bottles of juice. The canopy isn’t heated so the juice stays nice and cold, as do the sandwiches.
The F-16 does have an autopilot. Altitude hold and heading select basically. No auto throttles though. It’s pretty easy to stay in formation on autopilot. The formation we’re flying isn’t “fingertip” like the Thunderbirds. Between refueling, we fly in tactical formation. Three to four thousand feet between every jet. Now you’re saying; “Heck, I could do that!” I told you so. I clean my hands with some sani-wipes and hit the tanker.
Now I don’t care how manly and in shape you are, by the time you’ve sat in an F-16 for 11 hours you are fatigued. The military cares about your safety though. So, the day you left home they issued you two pills. No, not a blue pill and a red pill like The Matrix. One is a stop pill, and one is a go pill. Us fighter pilots aren’t sophisticated enough to call them depressants and stimulants.
You’re supposed to take the stop pill about 16 hours before takeoff. This helps to get your circadian rhythm in the right place for flying
all night. The go pill is for about 40 minutes before landing. Now remember: we’re fighter pilots. We didn’t take the go pill before landing. We saved them for...let’s not get ahead of our story. Still a handful of refueling and three more box lunches to go.
Once we get close to the European continent, the second tanker departs and we fly the rest of the way to Italy as a 12-ship formation. Three sets of four, still in tactical formation. As we approach the base for landing we resume our usual landing formation of fingertip. Yep, like the T-Birds except the formation is called echelon. Number two, three, and four all on the same side of number one. We fly an overhead pattern and peel off one at a time for landing, about six seconds apart. You can tell we’re all a little rough but not too bad. Fighters alternate on which side of the runway we land. In a four-ship, number one and three land on the left of centerline. Number two and four land on the right. The spacing at touchdown is about 6,000 feet between each jet.
Too Tired To Go Around
I fly, what to me seems like a normal overhead and landing. I’m pleased it was so smooth and in the right spot on the runway. Just as I lower my nose I hear the semi-frantic voice of number three landing behind me. “Clear Left!” is all I hear before I see him go blasting by me on my right! He’s between me and the edge lights and I’m rolling out on the right side of the centerline. He landed long and hot, or he didn’t wait long enough for his “break” back up at pattern altitude. He was too tight on me and too tired to go-around. It’ll make a good story for the club tonight.
As we taxi onto the ramp of the Italian Air Force squadron, the Italian fighter pilots meet us at the bottom of our cockpit ladders with a beer. This is my first deployment in a fighter. This is cool. Once we get to the Officers Quarters it’s time to start
removing all the survival gear and the...thing. I’m not sure to this day all the glue is off. It’s about 6 p.m. or so local when we all meet up to head to the “O” club (Officers Club). It’s going to be a long night. Tomorrow is a “down day” as we recover from the trip and get the in-country briefings. We’ll fly the first missions the next day. We’re all pretty beat from flying all the way from America you know. Sure would be nice to stay awake to party with our new Italian friends. It’d be rude to not have a few drinks with our NATO allies. Hum, what to do. Ah yes, the go pill!•
Wonder what the squadron wives are doing back home. T&T
Kevin Dingman has been flying for 38 years. He is ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 17,000 hours. A retired U.S. Air Force Major, he flew the F-16 then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He now flies volunteer missions for the Christian organization Wings Of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke. You can contact Kevin at Dinger10d@gmail.com.
JANUARY 2011 ­TWIN & TURBINE • ­33